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16th June 2017, 18:56
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 1/9
London fire: Furious residents enter town hall
chanting 'we want justice'
Updated 1:06 PM ET, Fri June 16, 2017
By James Masters, CNN
Story highlights
Residents desperate for information protest at
town hall
30 people confirmed dead following London
high-rise fire
Government announces emergency fund
London (CNN) — Residents furious over the handling of the
Grenfell Tower disaster descended upon the local town hall in
west London Friday afternoon, pushing their way into the
building and shouting, "we want justice."
Protesters, some holding fliers or wearing t-shirts with images
of missing people, mounted the front steps and pushed their
way into the building.
Some attempted to force their way past security personnel to
the upper floors at the headquarters of the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170616121934-02-grenfell-protest-0616-exlarge-169.jpg
Protesters gather outside Kensington town hall in west London.
One man approached a TV camera, saying, "We want answers and justice." People did not favor violence but were
desperate for information, he said.
Theresa May, Britain's embattled Prime Minister, visiting nearby, was bundled away by security guards after
protesters converged on the street. May has already faced criticism for failing to meet residents when she made a
low-key visit to the scene Thursday.
Protesters gather outside Kensington town hall in west London.
World + Live TV
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NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 2/9
low-key visit to the scene Thursday.
The UK government, which has already promised a full public inquiry, announced a $6.4M ($5M) fund to help
those aected
by the blaze.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170616122055-04-grenfell-protest-0616-exlarge-169.jpg
Some protesters managed to get inside the building.
The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, demanded that the government publish a list of other tower blocks checked by
investigators by the end of Friday. In a letter to May, he listed a litany of concerns raised by residents, including the
lack of information about missing relatives, the chaotic response of the local council, and concerns about safety in
other tower blocks.
"They feel the government and local council haven't done enough to help them in the aftermath of this horrific
incident, or to provide answers to their increasingly urgent questions," Khan wrote in the letter.
Residents are furious that many of the victims have not yet been found or identified, and believe authorities have
been downplaying the number of victims. They believe that their longstanding concerns over fire safety at Grenfell
Tower were not adequately addressed.
Police said Friday that 30 people were confirmed to have died, but residents believe that up to 70 people perished
in the blaze.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170615052823-07-london-fire-aftermath-0615-exlarge-169.jpg
Prime Minister Theresa May was criticized for a low-key visit to the disaster scene.
Some protesters managed to get inside the building.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 3/9
Anger on the streets
One of the organizers of Friday afternoon's protest, Mustafa Al Mansur, told reporters that people were wholly
unsatisfied with the ocial
response to the fire.
Al Mansur said there are still many details that are unknown, including information about the contractors who
worked on the building's renovation in 2015 and 2016.
He also said the tragedy underscores some of the lingering issues of inequality that have roiled Britain in recent
years.
"This is the richest borough in the UK but we have a building where some of the poorest people live," he said in an
interview. "The safety measures are totally inadequate."
He said the council spent money on the recent renovation merely "to decorate the exterior" so that it would "look
better for the rich neighbors."
He said there needs to be an independent inquiry, adding, "People are calling it a corporate manslaughter."
Prime Minister Theresa May was criticized for a low-key visit to the disaster scene.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 4/9
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170616120359-01-grenfell-protest-0616-exlarge-169.jpg
Protesters gather at Kensington Town Hall on Friday afternoon.
The protests come as police say they may never be able to identify all of those who perished in the tower disaster,
as anger and frustration mounted in the London neighborhood stunned by the tragedy.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the blaze. Police said the cause of
the fire was unlikely to be arson, but a team of senior detectives is investigating whether other oenses
were
committed.
One London Member of Parliament has called for corporate manslaughter charges to be brought, after it was
revealed that flammable material had been used to clad the building during a recent refurbishment. No sprinkler
system was installed.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170616112615-01-queen-elizabeth-grenfell-0616-exlarge-169.jpg
Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the community affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London.
Protesters gather at Kensington Town Hall on Friday afternoon.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 5/9
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Cambridge visited the area to meet residents and community representatives
on Friday.
Police said on Friday that they had identified the place where the fire originated, and disclosed that it was unlikely
to have been started deliberately.
Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said there was "a risk that sadly we may not be able to identify
everybody". He said 24 people remain in hospital, 12 of whom are in critical care.
Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the community aected
by the fire at Grenfell Tower in
west London.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 6/9
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 7/9
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 8/9
Details of victims emerge
The names of those who died are beginning to emerge.
One was Gloria Trevisan, a 26-year-old Italian architect who was living in London because her family was having
financial diculties
at home in Italy.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170615162217-02-london-fire-victims-exlarge-169.jpg
Related article: Refugee fled Syria violence only to die in the London fire
A lawyer for the family told CNN that Trevisan was able to speak with her parents before she died, telling them: "I
am going to heaven. I will help you from up there."
On Thursday, Mohammad Al-Hajali, 23, a refugee who fled Syria for the UK in 2014, was announced as the first
victim of the fire.
Mohammad and his brother Omar, both students, lived together in a 14th-floor apartment in Grenfell Tower.
Omar, 25, survived, but the brothers were separated as firemen tried to rescue them from burning building early
Wednesday.
Read: Student pulls all-nighter helping Grenfell Tower victims, then takes exam
Blame game
The UK government has promised that all those made homeless by the disaster will be rehoused in the local area.
But the government has been criticized for failing to act on recommendations from previous tower block fires.
The Prime Minister is facing particular scrutiny over the role of her new chief of sta,
Gavin Barwell, who served as
housing minister until he lost his seat in last week's snap general election.
Barwell had told lawmakers that the government intended to review fire safety standards following a deadly blaze
at the Lakanal House high-rise building in south London in 2009, in which three women and three children died. In
that case, exterior paneling helped the fire spread.
Related Article: Refugee fled Syria violence only to die in the London fire
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 9/9
that case, exterior paneling helped the fire spread.
Jim Fitzpatrick, an MP with the main opposition Labour Party,
slammed the Conservative-led government for shuing
its
feet on the review.
He said that he and a parliamentary group that he chairs have
been pushing for better safety regulations since the 2009 fire.
CNN's Angela Dewan, Eliza Mackintosh and Jeanne Bonner
contributed to this report.
Related Video: Anger and solidarity after
London blaze 01:36
6 reasons why Europe may have turned a
corner
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Fire tears through residential tower in London, leaving 12 dead
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Student pulls all-nighter helping Grenfell Tower victims, then takes exam
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 1/9
London fire: Furious residents enter town hall
chanting 'we want justice'
Updated 1:06 PM ET, Fri June 16, 2017
By James Masters, CNN
Story highlights
Residents desperate for information protest at
town hall
30 people confirmed dead following London
high-rise fire
Government announces emergency fund
London (CNN) — Residents furious over the handling of the
Grenfell Tower disaster descended upon the local town hall in
west London Friday afternoon, pushing their way into the
building and shouting, "we want justice."
Protesters, some holding fliers or wearing t-shirts with images
of missing people, mounted the front steps and pushed their
way into the building.
Some attempted to force their way past security personnel to
the upper floors at the headquarters of the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170616121934-02-grenfell-protest-0616-exlarge-169.jpg
Protesters gather outside Kensington town hall in west London.
One man approached a TV camera, saying, "We want answers and justice." People did not favor violence but were
desperate for information, he said.
Theresa May, Britain's embattled Prime Minister, visiting nearby, was bundled away by security guards after
protesters converged on the street. May has already faced criticism for failing to meet residents when she made a
low-key visit to the scene Thursday.
Protesters gather outside Kensington town hall in west London.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 2/9
low-key visit to the scene Thursday.
The UK government, which has already promised a full public inquiry, announced a $6.4M ($5M) fund to help
those aected
by the blaze.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170616122055-04-grenfell-protest-0616-exlarge-169.jpg
Some protesters managed to get inside the building.
The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, demanded that the government publish a list of other tower blocks checked by
investigators by the end of Friday. In a letter to May, he listed a litany of concerns raised by residents, including the
lack of information about missing relatives, the chaotic response of the local council, and concerns about safety in
other tower blocks.
"They feel the government and local council haven't done enough to help them in the aftermath of this horrific
incident, or to provide answers to their increasingly urgent questions," Khan wrote in the letter.
Residents are furious that many of the victims have not yet been found or identified, and believe authorities have
been downplaying the number of victims. They believe that their longstanding concerns over fire safety at Grenfell
Tower were not adequately addressed.
Police said Friday that 30 people were confirmed to have died, but residents believe that up to 70 people perished
in the blaze.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170615052823-07-london-fire-aftermath-0615-exlarge-169.jpg
Prime Minister Theresa May was criticized for a low-key visit to the disaster scene.
Some protesters managed to get inside the building.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 3/9
Anger on the streets
One of the organizers of Friday afternoon's protest, Mustafa Al Mansur, told reporters that people were wholly
unsatisfied with the ocial
response to the fire.
Al Mansur said there are still many details that are unknown, including information about the contractors who
worked on the building's renovation in 2015 and 2016.
He also said the tragedy underscores some of the lingering issues of inequality that have roiled Britain in recent
years.
"This is the richest borough in the UK but we have a building where some of the poorest people live," he said in an
interview. "The safety measures are totally inadequate."
He said the council spent money on the recent renovation merely "to decorate the exterior" so that it would "look
better for the rich neighbors."
He said there needs to be an independent inquiry, adding, "People are calling it a corporate manslaughter."
Prime Minister Theresa May was criticized for a low-key visit to the disaster scene.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 4/9
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170616120359-01-grenfell-protest-0616-exlarge-169.jpg
Protesters gather at Kensington Town Hall on Friday afternoon.
The protests come as police say they may never be able to identify all of those who perished in the tower disaster,
as anger and frustration mounted in the London neighborhood stunned by the tragedy.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the blaze. Police said the cause of
the fire was unlikely to be arson, but a team of senior detectives is investigating whether other oenses
were
committed.
One London Member of Parliament has called for corporate manslaughter charges to be brought, after it was
revealed that flammable material had been used to clad the building during a recent refurbishment. No sprinkler
system was installed.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170616112615-01-queen-elizabeth-grenfell-0616-exlarge-169.jpg
Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the community affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London.
Protesters gather at Kensington Town Hall on Friday afternoon.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 5/9
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Cambridge visited the area to meet residents and community representatives
on Friday.
Police said on Friday that they had identified the place where the fire originated, and disclosed that it was unlikely
to have been started deliberately.
Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said there was "a risk that sadly we may not be able to identify
everybody". He said 24 people remain in hospital, 12 of whom are in critical care.
Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the community aected
by the fire at Grenfell Tower in
west London.
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 6/9
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 7/9
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 8/9
Details of victims emerge
The names of those who died are beginning to emerge.
One was Gloria Trevisan, a 26-year-old Italian architect who was living in London because her family was having
financial diculties
at home in Italy.
http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170615162217-02-london-fire-victims-exlarge-169.jpg
Related article: Refugee fled Syria violence only to die in the London fire
A lawyer for the family told CNN that Trevisan was able to speak with her parents before she died, telling them: "I
am going to heaven. I will help you from up there."
On Thursday, Mohammad Al-Hajali, 23, a refugee who fled Syria for the UK in 2014, was announced as the first
victim of the fire.
Mohammad and his brother Omar, both students, lived together in a 14th-floor apartment in Grenfell Tower.
Omar, 25, survived, but the brothers were separated as firemen tried to rescue them from burning building early
Wednesday.
Read: Student pulls all-nighter helping Grenfell Tower victims, then takes exam
Blame game
The UK government has promised that all those made homeless by the disaster will be rehoused in the local area.
But the government has been criticized for failing to act on recommendations from previous tower block fires.
The Prime Minister is facing particular scrutiny over the role of her new chief of sta,
Gavin Barwell, who served as
housing minister until he lost his seat in last week's snap general election.
Barwell had told lawmakers that the government intended to review fire safety standards following a deadly blaze
at the Lakanal House high-rise building in south London in 2009, in which three women and three children died. In
that case, exterior paneling helped the fire spread.
Related Article: Refugee fled Syria violence only to die in the London fire
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT
6/16/2017 London fire: Furious residents descend on town hall - CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/grenfell-tower-queen-elizabeth-visit/index.html 9/9
that case, exterior paneling helped the fire spread.
Jim Fitzpatrick, an MP with the main opposition Labour Party,
slammed the Conservative-led government for shuing
its
feet on the review.
He said that he and a parliamentary group that he chairs have
been pushing for better safety regulations since the 2009 fire.
CNN's Angela Dewan, Eliza Mackintosh and Jeanne Bonner
contributed to this report.
Related Video: Anger and solidarity after
London blaze 01:36
6 reasons why Europe may have turned a
corner
Recommended by
Fire tears through residential tower in London, leaving 12 dead
Why the left is wrong about Alex Jones and Megyn Kelly
Student pulls all-nighter helping Grenfell Tower victims, then takes exam
World + Live TV
President Trump to announce changes in US policy with Cuba
NEWS ALERT